Age 16 is too young to vote

THE EDITOR: If the age for consent to marriage in TT is now legally 18, where is the sense in dropping the voting age to 16? Voting too young is as serious a contemplation as child marriage. Who can say which teenager is fully understanding of the seriousness of exercising their civic duty? Like child marriage, TT will need to have serious debate from the citizenry.

The importance of civic duty should be part of the school curriculum and it must be fully understood. You cannot on one hand be under parental and religious guidance and then be let loose to misuse your vote. How many more 16-year-old children do we have residing in TT in comparison to adults?

Voting for a government is not about asking which provider has the best cellular phone. This is not a civic duty. Neither is it voting for a particular leader because he/she appears physically attractive. Children under age 18 usually reside with parents. These children might be forced to vote in accordance with parental choice. This will therefore make no difference in voting patterns and could instead distort and infringe on individual rights to be heard. At age 21 you cannot return an unwanted and deeply regretted political baby.

LYNETTE JOSEPH, Diego Martin